Here is my draft thesis outline! It was helpful to put all the moving pieces together on paper, and I got to look back on previous projects I’ve done for more references. This week was also my thesis research-in-progress presentation, and I got some helpful feedback from my classmates! One piece of advice was to search for demographic data via census information, Nextdoor data, and survey information. Another small issue was that my “outrageous hypothesis” that governmental help takes the backseat on earthquake response doesn’t really get answered by my focus questions — I think they are in fact related loosely in that my focus question is about neighborly connections which in some ways implies the importance of them, but I agree that I don’t really talk much about governmental response.
I was also asked about people outside of the Nextdoor community (i.e. people who are are not residents per say but are in the area visiting or for work) and what role they play in my thesis, and I think that’s an interesting point. I will deal with insiders and outsiders within Nextdoor, but am unsure how to deal with those “others.” In some ways, I think not everyone can be prepared, but the more people who are connected and prepared the more resilient the community will be.
While I listened to other presentations, I began to wonder if there are any viewpoints of sources of controversy that I am not taking into account. It seems to be a very theoretical thesis right now, and I’m not seeing a huge controversy in it, for example political, spiritual, etc. implications. Perhaps I will come across something, but it’s definitely something I’ll take into account.
Overall this process was very helpful in gathering my thoughts and evidencing to myself that I know more than I think! There is a long way to go, but I think I am going in the right direction, which I am more than happy with at this point.